Latch needle pattern attachment



Sept. 10, 1935. H A SHN-ELUS 2,014,213

LATCH NEEDLE PATTERN ATTACHMENT Sept- 10, 1935. H. A. sHn-:LnsV2,014,213

LATCH NEEDLE PATTERN ATTACHMENT Filed Nov. 2s, 1952 2 sheets-sheet 2 3.,Mmm

Patented Sept. 10, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LATCH NEEDLE PATTERNATTACHMENT Application November 28, 1932, Serial No. 644,57 5

8 Claims.

This invention relates to pattern attachments for knitting machines andits particular purpose is to provide an attachment by means of which apattern may be knit into the fabric manufactured by a tubular latchneedle knitting machine.

The device provides an invention by which two strands of yarn are guidedinto the needles of the knitting machine at each yarn feeding station sothat the relative positions of the respective strands of yarn as theyare fed into the needles and knit into the fabric thereby may berepeatedly changed during the knitting operation so that the differentstrands of yarn alternately appear upon the outer surface of the fabricat different locations and, the respective strands of yarn being ofdifferent colors or different kinds, a pattern is caused to appear inthe finished product.

The invention provides a device of this kind which is most efficient andaccurate in operation, durable, simple in construction, adjustable foroperation under different conditions and also has various other new anduseful features of construction and arrangement as hereinafter morefully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 shows a portion of a conventional knitting machine with thepattern attachment of this invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a. cross section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l of the same part ofthe conventional knitting machine showing the pattern knittingattachment in side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the upper portion of the patternattachment showing the parts thereof moved to a different position thanshown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the pattern attachment viewed from` theopposite side than shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of a series of needles of the knittingmachine showing the needle guard having the throat through which thetreads pass and also showing the eye ends of the yarn guide lingers inposition with the strands of yarn passing through them and into theneedles.

Fig. 6 is a plan View of the parts shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a plan View of the drive gear and cam of the patternattachment.

Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation of the same on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7,and

Fig. 9 is an elevation of one of the yarn guard fingers removed from themachine.

(Cl. (i6- 137) Like reference numbers refer to like parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

The machine to which the attachment of this invention is applied is ofthe conventional type known as a tubular latch needle knitting machinewhich has a rotating needle cylinder l and a rotating needle dial 2.Conventional latch needles 3 are slidably mounted in longitudinalgrooves on the outer surface of the needle cylinder l and similar latchneedles 4 are slidably mounted in radial grooves on the upper surface ofneedle dial 2. A fixed cylinder cam 5 surrounds the cylinder l to movethe needles 3 thereon in a conventional manner and a fixed cam plate i5located over the needle dial 2 performs a like function upon the needles4. A xed arcshaped guide l is located close to the needles at each yarnfeeding station to retain the needles 3 of the cylinder l in theirrespective grooves.

Knitting machines of this type are customarily provided with a pluralityof yarn feeding stations spaced about the periphery at which stationsthe respective vertical and horizontal needles 3 and il are successivelymoved as the cylinder and dial rotate, to receive the yarn and toperform the knitting operation, and to manufacture plain fabric withoutpattern the strands of yarn are fed into the needles at these stationsby iixed yarn guides. The present pattern attachment is substituted forthe conventional fixed yarn guides and is attached to the cam plate 6 ofthe knitting machine by the same screw 8 as was originally used toattach the fixed yarn guides thereto.

The pattern attachment comprises a body 9 having a bracket portion Il)which engages the cam plate and through which the screw 8 passes toattach the device to the knitting machine. The upper portion of the bodyhas a horizontal extension ll in which are mounted two fixed yarn guideslz through each of which one of the respective strands of yarn I3 and i4passes.

Two yarn guide lingers l5 and I6 are pivotally mounted upon the body 9upon a single pivotal axis. A shaft or pivot pin l1 serves as the pivotmounting, and a xed yarn guide I8 is supported on said shaft il, saidyarn guide I8 having two holes through which the respective strands ofyarn pass. Each of the yarn guide fingers I5 and I6 has an upwardlyextending arm having a substantially horizontal portion l5a and lSawhich has an eye and a downwardly extending arm having k,an eye portion15b and |62). Although the upper and lower arms of each guide linger aremade of separate parts for convenience in manufacture, these upper andlower arms of Vsidered.

' the 'fran/ie of the machine.

each guide finger are joined together and moved as though they wereintegral and may be so con- The finger I 5 has an outwardly extendinglever I9 having a pin 20 thereon and the linger I5 has an outwardlyextending lever 2I and pin 22 thereon. An oscillating lever V23 ispivoted between its ends at 24 and each of its respective ends is forkedto embrace the respective pins 20 and 22. By this constructionsynchronous but opposite pivotal movement of the respective iingers I5and I6 is caused to occur and the lengths between the respective arms I9and 2i extend from their pivots and the relative location of the pivot24 between the ends of the forked lever 23 is arranged so that Vtheamount of reciprocation of each of the fingers I5 and I6 issubstantially the same. v

The pivoted linger I6 is moved in one direction by a spring 25 which isattached at its lowerY end to an extension i Ifc and at its upper endto 1. a supporting arm l25' mounted Von the frame of the machine; Theringer VI'E is moved in the opposite direction by a cam lever comprisingthe upper and lower arms 2'! and 28. The upper and lower arms 21 and 28of the cam lever are integrally joined by a hub 29 which hub ispivotally mounted on a pivot screw 30 extending fr om The arm 2I of theyarn 'guide finger Iiil has an adjustable screw 3! which engages themoving end of the cam lever 21 andthe moving end'of the `cam lever `28rides upon a circular cam 32.

The cam 32 is `in the nature of an annulus or series of segments mountedupon a base 33 which is supportedV upon a gear 3-4. The gear 34 has ahub 35 "rotatably mountedupon a short vertical shaft 36 which isfastened to the frame of the machine. The 'base 33 of the cam 32 has acentral Vopening 'through which the hub 35 extends and the base A33 mayhave a limited rotation about the Ihub upon the gear 34 it beingprovided with a 'segmental slot 31 through which a clamp- 'ing screw V38extends, said-clamping screw being 'threaded into the Vgear v34. By thisstructure the cam 32 may be rotatably adjusted relativeV to the ygear 34within the limit 'of the length of the slot 31 vand may be clamped -tothe gear in the desired adjusted position by the screw 38.

-The gear. 34 is Varranged 'to be driven by engagement'with the 'needlesof the needle cylinder vI"'or5by engagement with 'the portions ofsuchcylinder extending beyond the needlesbetween the needle groovestherein.V In some knitting ma- "chnes of this :type it is moreconvenient to engage the teeth of the Ygear 34 with the portions 'ofthecylin'der I which'extend outwardly between needlegrooves as generallyshown in the present drawings butin other machines it is preferable toengageythe teeth ofthe gear 34-directly with the needles to Ybe driventhereby. Usually when idrive'n by the'portions Yof the cylinder betweenVthe grooves the gear should be ina higher posi- "tion and when Vdrivenby the needles it should be in a lower position asrillustrated by dottedlines in FigJi. In order to change the vertical ."position ofthe gear 34it is merely necessary to provide adi'ferent hub 35 therefor on whichthe ge'arisl mounted' at the desired height. Y When the verticalposition of the gear is altered the `cam lever A28, which'engages thecam 3-2 thereon, must also be changed 'sothat it will properly engage'the cam at the position where the gear is located.

The shaft"36,- about which the gear 34 and ca'm kthe needles 3 or theextensions between the needle 10 grooves of the cylinder. The lower endsI5b and IGb of the yarn guide fingers, which have eyes therein, serve toguideY the respective strands of yarn I3 and I4 through a needle guard4I which needle guard is xed 15 to ythe frame of the device and which isprovided with an opening or throat through which both strands of yarnpass.V The opening or throat has a larger portion 42 shaped and locatedso that it will receive either of the lower ends I5b 20 Y or ifb` of theyarn guide -iingersin inner pesi-tion and the throat has a narrowedextension 431 :cornrnunicating with the larger portion 42 and extendingtherefrom iin the saine direction `'as the yarn is led into the needlesand is for the purpose `25 of guiding the `strand of vyarn which passesthrough the yarn lguide finger which is -rnoved to outer position in amanner tocause sai'dstrand of yarn to lie outwardly 'relative to thestrand of yarn which is being guided into the needles 30` through thethroat portion A42 by the yarn guide linger which is in inner position.

A yarn tension device is provided' whichco-nsists of a base 44 mountedfor slding movement in -a slot 45 inthe frame 9 of the device and 85being clamped in the desired location in 'said slot by a nut 46 which isscrewed onto the threaded extension 44a of said base. Two small rods 4lextend in vertically spaced relation from said base 44 and in positionso that the veye 40 portions of either the upper e'nds I'5a1and Ilia ofthe lyarn guide vfingers 'will move 'between them whensaid ends aremovedforwardly. The upper end of the yarn guide, which is invfoi.1'vafrd.-1;iosiu tion, causes the strand of yarn passing through 45this respective guide to be fiexed in contact with vboth of the rods 41'and also'in the 'eye yof ithe of the yarn guide which is inoute'rposition re- 450A moves the yarn from contact with the rods 41permitting it to travel vdirectly vthrough the yarn guide withoutimposing frictiona'l resistance to such travel. Y

It may here be explained thatv the yarn guide `55 finger, which has its`upper end in forward position to engage its strand of .yarn withthe'fri'ction rods 4l, has its lower end in outer position to pass itsstrand of yarn through ther forward extension 43 of the throat'of theyarn guide 6'0 which also imposes additional'frictional `resistance tomovement of the yarn. rAdjustment of the position of the `friction rodsil by movin the body 44 in vthe slot 45 alters the amount of tensionwhich is frictionally imposed upon the 65 yarn at this. point. l

Adjustable stop'screws 48 and 49 are provided vto be engaged by andlimit ythe movements in one direction of the respective yarn guidefngers I5 and I6. These stop screws43fandiiextend 70 through a support50 Afastened to thelfra'me or 'the device yand are threaded vthrough."said support so that rotation ofthe screws will vary their positionsaxially.

rihe lower endsof the screws are engaged Tbyf Y An adjusting screw 40 isscrewed through `5 extensions ISC on the finger I6 and I5c on the fingerI5 in the upward movements of these extensions to limit the movements ofthe respective fingers in the corresponding directions which adjustablylimits the forward movements and positions of the lower ends I5b and Ibthereof.

Operation The device is first attached to the knitting machine at theyarn feeding station thereof by removing the conventional yarn guide andattaching the pattern knitting yarn guide of this invention in itsplace. There are customarily a plurality of yarn guides on each knittingmachine spaced at intervals about its periphery and, as heretoforeexplained, the device of this invention is provided with a bracket I0 bywhich it may be attached to the knitting machine by the same screw 8 aswas originally provided to attach the conventional yarn guide thereto.

Threads or strands of yarn I3 and I4 are led from spools located above,two of such strands leading to each pattern attachment and said twostrands being of Adifferent colors or different kinds. Each of thestrands is passed through a respective guide I2, thence through one ofthe upper eyes of each respective yarn guide fingers I5 and I6, thencethrough the respective eyes of the fixed yarn guide I8, thence throughthe respective eyes in the lower ends of the yarn guide fingers and fromthere both strands of yarn are led through the throat of the yarn guide4I into the needles which needles operate upon -both strands of yarnwhen the machine is operated to knit the yarn into a tubular fabric.

A gear 34 of proper diameter and having the proper number of teeth tomake the desired pattern with a hub 35 attached thereto is selected andthe desired cam 32 and base 33 thereof is 'mounted upon the selectedgear and attached 'thereto by the screw 38 and this assembly of gear,cam and hub is placed upon the shaft 3S, which is mounted upon the boss39 and adjusted in the slot thereof so that the teeth of the gear willproperly mesh either with the extensions on the cylinder I between theneedle slots thereof or with the needles 3 on the cylinder, suchadjustment being facilitated by the adjusting screw 40 and the shaft 36vis then clamped in adjusted position by the nut at 36h.

Other parts of the device are then adjusted for proper operation. 'I'hecam arm 28 rests upon the cam 32 and when it engages a depression ofsaid cam it permits forward movement of the lower end IBb of the camfinger I6, said cam nger being moved in that direction by the spring 25and therefore the stop screw 49 is properly adjusted to limit themovement of the finger I6 so that its lower end, when in inner positionwill be properly located with respect to the throat portion 42 and theneedles. When the cam arm 28 engages a raised portion of the cam 32, thecam finger I6 is moved to opposite position and, by action of the forkedlever 23, the finger I5 is moved so that its lower end I5b is in innerposition. 'Ihis inner position of the lower end I5b of the finger I5 isadjusted by means of the adjusting screw 3I on the extension 2| of thefinger I6V which engages the moving end of the upper cam arm 21 and whenthis adjusting screw 3| is properly adjusted to move the lowe end of thefinger I5 inwardly to its proper location when the cam arm 28 is on arise of the cam 32 the stop screw 48 is adjusted to engage the extensionI5c lthat direction.

of the finger to limit movement of said finger in The friction device,having the rods 41, is adjusted by movement in the slot 45 to a positionWhere the desired amount of frictional resistance and cam 32 thereon.The cam 32, in this rotation, alternately raises and lowers the cam arm28 and likewise the cam arm 21 which reciprocates the yarn guide fingerI6 on its pivot and, by means of the forked lever 23, causes a like butopposite reciprocation of the yarn guide finger I5.

After the yarn feeding pattern attachments have been properly adjustedas described and the knitting machine is put into operation two strandsof yarn are drawn from each attachment into the needles by rotationthereof and the cams of the knitting machine move the needles in theconventional way to knit the yarn into a tubular fabric. The strands ofyarn are pulled by rotation of the needles through the throat portion 42and extension 43 thereof from the lower ends I5b and I6b of the guidefingers in a direction corresponding to the direction in which theextension 43 leads from the throat portion 42 and at all times the lowerend of one yarn guide finger is in inner position in or close tothethroat portion 42 and the eye thereof relatively close to the needles sothat the yarn which is led therefrom assumes a position close to theShanks of the verguide finger is moved outwardly a considerable distanceaway from the needles and the strand of yarn leading therefrom is pulledinto the extension 43 of the throat which causes it to assume a positionoutwardly located with respect to the other strand of yarn. The two yarnguide fingers thus lay the respective strands of yarn in the needleswith one of the strands outwardly located relative to the other and thestrands of yarn are knit into the fabric by the needles in theserelative positions and the strand which was laid in the needlesoutwardly is the one which Will appear on the outer surface of thefabric.

To insure the proper positioning of the strands of yarn the one which isto lie in outer position has frictional resistance to its movementimposed upon it both by the friction device having the rods 41 and byfrictional engagement with the ends of the extension 43 through which itpasses which frictional resistance or tension forcibly pulls and holdsit outwardly while the needles act upon both strands.

Since the yarn guide fingers alternately change their positions andreverse the positions of the strands of yarn which are led from theminto the needles the two respective strands, which are of differentkinds or different colors, alternately appear upon the surface of thefabric to form a pattern thereon and an infinite number of differentpatterns or designs may be made by changing either the cam 32 or thegear 34 or both of them. The operation of each pattern attachment may beadjusted to synchronize with that of other pattern attachments on thesame machine so that the yarn charge produced thereby will properlycorrespond with the yarn charge produced by the other attachments allworking upon the same piece of fabric to produce a continuity of thedesign by adjusting the cam 32 on the gear 34. This adjustment is madeby loosening the screw 38 and slightly rotating the cam relative to the-proper position and then meshing gear. It is intended that suchadjustment is for minor changes only since the segmental slot 31 ,isrelatively short, and that greater changes in `adjustment-in thisrespect are made by unmesh- `ing the gear from the needles or cylinderextensions and rotating the gear to approximately the its teeth with thedriving members. Y f

I claim: Y l; The combination with a knitting machine ,of a `device ofthe class described comprising, a

frame attachable to said knitting machine, two yarn guide fingerspivoted to said frame and each Yhaving an eye in its movable end, meansactuated l5 oppositely oscillating said respective fingers about -theirpivots ina manner to move each arm into by a moving part of saidknitting machine for close proximity with the needles of the knittingmachine and oppositely out of such proximity, a Viixed yarn guideattached to a fixed portion of said knitting machine and located closeto the needles thereof and having a throat into proximity With which themoving end of each of said vyarn guide fingers is alternately moved, andsaid `.throat having an extension, which throat exten- 2. Thecombination with a knitting machine of a device of-the class describedcomprising, a

vframe attachable to said knitting machine, two

yarn guide iingers pivoted on said frame and each having an eye in itsmovable end,ra gear mounted vto rotate upon a vertical axis, means forchanging the vertical position of said-gear on its axis Iwhereby saidgear may be caused'to mesh either with the needlesof the cylinder of theknitting KVmachine or with portions of said cylinder, a cam moved bysaid gear, and means actuated by said cam and imparting oppositeoscillatory movement to the respective yarn o`uide ingers.

3. The combination with a knitting machine ci a device of the YclassdescribedY comprising, a

'frame attachable to saidV knitting machine, two

yarn guide fingers pivoted to said frame, and

each having an eye at its movable end, means actuated by a moving partVof said knitting mavchine for oppositely oscillating said yarn guidefingers, two strands of yarn, one strand passing through an eye in themovable end of each respective yarn guide ringer, means integral witheach oi" said yarn guide iingers extending from the opposite side oftheir respective pivots, a

YsecondV eye ineach of said last mentioned integral means, the twostrands of yarn passing through these second eyes, two spaced relativelyiixed elements located at opposite sides ofthe paths of said second eyesfor imposing resistance tof movement of the yarns at predeterminedtimes.

4; The combination with a knitting machine of a device of the classdescribed comprising, a

frame attachable to said knitting machine, twoV yarn guide fingers eachpivoted between its ends tosaid frame, an eye in each respective end ofeach of said fingers, means actuated by a moving part of said knittingmachine for oppositely oscillating'said yarn` guide fingers whereby thelower end of each yringer isrnovedV inwardly to close proximity with theneedlesof` the knitting machine and outwardlyout of such proximity, anda tension member iixed to said frame inra 5 position whore it Ywill beengaged by strands of yarn passing through the eye inthe upper end ofeach of said ngers when each iinger is moved with its lower end out lofproximity withY said needles, said tension member acting to impose .1presistance to longitudinal movement of said yarn. 5. The elements Vin.combination defined in claim 4 in which said tension member isadjustable in a manner to vary 4the resistance to movement of the yarnimposed by it. 15 6. The combination with a knitting machine o'f adevice of the class described comprising, a frame attachable to knittingmachine, a first and a second yarn guide finger pivotally mounted onsaid frame, an eye at the moving end of each 20 of said iingers, meansactuated by a moving part of said knitting machine for impartingoscillation to said iirst finger in a manner to move its' end Yhaving aneye therein inwardly into close proximity with the needlesof saidknitting machine and .25, outwardly out oi such proximity and meansactuated 'oy movement of such iirst ringer for imparting correspondingbut opposite movement to said second-ringer, said last mentioned meansinclud-V a lever having its ends slotted and being pivoted intermediateits ends, said pivot being paraiiel to the pivots of the said ngers.

Y 7. The combination with a knitting machine of a device of the classdescribed comprising, a frame attachable to said knitting machine, afirst and a second yarn guidefinger pivoted to said frame and eachhaving an eye in its movable end,

a gear rotatably mounted on said frame and rotated by a moving part ofsaid knitting ymachine, a cam actuated by said gear, a cam arm 49pivoted to said frame and actuated by saidcam, adjustable means on saidiirst yarn guide finger engageableiwith said cam arm and serving .tomove said irst nger by actuation of said' cam arm in one direction ofits oscillation, yieldable means connected to said first iinger toV movethe same in the opposite direction 'of its oscillation, means actuatedby movement of said rst finger serving to impart corresponding butopposite movement to said second ringer and stop means 'for one of said'fingers.

, 8. The combination with knitting machineof a device of the classdescribed comprising, a frame attachable to said knitting machine, twoyarn guide ngers movably mounted on said frame and each having an eye inits movable end,

means actuated by a moving part of said knitting machine for oppositelymoving said respective i'ingers in a'manner to move each arm, a iixedyarn guide attached to a iixed portion of said knitting machine, saidyarnguide having a throat into which the moving end of each of said yarnguide iingers is alternately moved, said throat :serving to guide theyarn when the Yeye carrying the same is located its greater' distancethere-A from and said yarn extending directly from its respective eye'to theV needles when the eye is in said throat. Y l

HARRY A. SHIVELDS. 70

